Overdue plane found; fate of pilot unknown

UPDATE - 3:30PM - FAA Pacific says search crews found the aircraft wreckage around 2:40 p.m. in the Pinenut Mountains about 10 miles east of Minden.

The aircraft was destroyed.

FAA says there is no confirmation yet on the fate of the pilot, who was the only person on board.

UPDATE - 12:10PM - The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident of an overdue plane from the Minden Airport.

A Cessna model 172, red & white in color, bearing tail number N328SP, left the Minden Airport last night, 02/06/13, at around 5:00 pm.

The Sheriff's Office say the plane was piloted by 46 year-old Keith Jorgenson of Gardnerville. Jorgenson was the only person on the plane.

It is reported that Jorgenson had planned to return to the airport by dark, however he never returned. A check of surrounding airports in Carson City and Mono County revealed that Jorgenson did not land there either. Lyon County is currently checking.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team has been deployed to assist in the search. They will be utilizing an ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) device to search for any signals from a distress radio beacon.

UPDATE - 11:25AM - According to the Manager at Minden-Tahoe Airport, the aircraft that is missing belongs to Flying Start and is a Flight School Aircraft.

The manager says it is unknown if the one who is registered to the plane (James D. McFadden) is the pilot or owner of the flight school.

MINDEN, Nev. (KRNV & MyNews4.com) - A Cessna 172 departed from the Minden-Tahoe airport last night for what was supposed to be a local flight. The plane did not return to the airport. Sources tell News 4 the airplane left the airport at about 5:00pm.

The FAA tells News 4 they have alerted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office of the unaccounted airplane.

The airplane is registered to James D. McFadden of Gardnerville and used by the Flying Start flight school, but it is not immediately clear who was in the airplane during the flight.